Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of China, you would:
Health
live 4.3 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 89.6% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $16,400 as of 2020, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
be 7.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In China, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 25.6% as of 2013.
Life
have 43.1% more children
In China, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In North Korea, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 3.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In North Korea, 89.0 women do as of 2017.
be 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 6.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 74.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In China, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2020. In North Korea, 26% of the population do as of 2019.
Geography
see 82.8% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.